UK customs arrest 10 in mobile VAT fraud

Link: Ten People Arrested in Mobile Phone Tax Fraud

UK customs officers from HMRC have arrested 10 people across the UK in a clamp-down on missing trader VAT fraud, also known as carousel fraud.

As well as the arrests, 20 premises were searched across the UK, in the operation after an investigation into companies that fraudulently trade in mobile phones – purchasing them VAT-free from mainland Europe to supply to businesses in the UK without paying the VAT due on the sale to the government.

Commenting on the operation, codenamed “Varlet”, Director of Operations, Criminal Investigation for HMRC Euan Stewart said: “Missing trader fraud is a sustained attack on HMRC, and tackling it is HMRC’s top priority. Today’s arrests follow months of painstaking investigative work by dedicated officers. The level of sophistication of these frauds means that our investigations are becoming more complex, but we are committed to working with the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office to bring the criminals behind the frauds to justice and to recovering the money stolen from the British Taxpayer. This crime is not victimless; it is organised and causes real harm.”